Where, O Where Was Carson Daly?

The much-publicized debut of MTV “Total Request Live” emcee Carson Daly, 28, as the host of his own late-night show on NBC never saw the light of day early Tuesday morning. The 1:35 a.m. program, “Last Call with Carson Daly,” was taped and ready to air, but a last-minute contractual glitch forced the network to shelve the show, according to Daly’s publicist and NBC. In its place, viewers were treated to a rerun of “SCTV” that included an onscreen crawl informing them that the Daly show would not air. No one would comment on what issues led to the last-minute cancellation. “It’s a highly unusual situation,” entertainment lawyer Nancy Rose told the New York Post. “This could only happen on a late night show or awards show. If it was a primetime show, movie or mini-series the networks always require a signature before filming begins.” By later in the day Tuesday, though, a peace treaty seemed to have been drawn, as had a contract. “NBC and Carson Daly have resolved the last-minute contract issues . . . and the show will go on as planned tonight,” NBC said in a statement. “We look forward to our continued relationship with Carson and the team at ‘Last Call.'” The show is meant to be a mix of music and interviews. Its first two episodes were taped earlier on Monday. The first featured six-time Grammy nominee Alicia Keys and the second, Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow. With the contract now signed, Daly’s rep told Reuters that the taping of future shows will resume on Wednesday.